Aussie minister sorry he liked' exposed teen pic

SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian politician says he has learned a valuable lesson in social networking after he “liked” a Facebook photo without realizing that it showed a teenage prankster exposing himself.

Western Australia Minister for Education Peter Collier said he clicked the “like” button under what he thought was an innocent photo of the then-16-year-old in late 2011. Collier apologized Thursday and said he had no idea that the teen, who was otherwise fully clothed and posing alongside an older man, was playing a prank commonly known as “sneaky nuts.”

“At first glance it appeared to be a harmless picture,” Collier said in a statement. “It was a silly mistake on my part. I only became aware of the actual content of the photo when shown by a journalist today. This obviously highlights the pitfalls of social media. I apologize if I caused any offense.”

The stunt was popularized by Australian comedian Chris Lilley’s TV show “Angry Boys,” in which a character revels in ruining group photos by secretly exposing himself. The prank has been a headache for some educators: Last year, administrators at a Catholic school in Canada scrambled to place stickers over a photo printed in all 1,300 class yearbooks of a student subtly exposing his genitals.

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The Australia incident did not attract attention until late last month, when the teen bragged on Twitter about fooling Collier, whom he was friends with on Facebook.